Erech Leleth's Ancient Mastery Explores the "City of Broken Dreams" (New Song Debut)

Shadowy multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Erech Leleth has built quite the kingdom over the past three years. Across a cornucopia of projects, featuring the likes of Bergfried, Carathis, Grandeur, Narcissus, and more, Erech Leleth builds a fantasy world all his own–an expanded universe of lore, battles, and love. In Ancient Mastery, Erech Leleth’s experiments in fusing ’80s heavy metal sleaze with black metal’s chilling atmospheres (and some surprisingly theatrical elements) immediately found strong footing with last year’s Chapter One: Across The Mountains Of The Drämmarskol album. Continuing Chapter One‘s story, Chapter Two: The Resistance dedicates itself to the people who stand up against the fascism which became present in Chapter One.

In “City of Broken Dreams,” which is streaming below, Erech Leleth’s pop sensibilities shine through in lengthy clean-sung passages performed by the incredibly talented Circe, whose pure voice fits black metal so much more than the overblown pseudo-operatic voices to which we have become so accustomed. Though the song is over 11 minutes long, Erech Leleth’s memorable and catchy songwriting render time irrelevant–power and folk metal alike guide Ancient Mastery’s black metal brawn through a frigid blizzard. Erech Leleth’s use of keyboards as both a texture and melody instrument, alternating between the two sensibilities with ease, shows his immense talent as a songwriter. Every instrument can, and does, shine across this song’s length. Though “City of Broken Dreams” is Chapter Two‘s longest song, it is also the album’s most developed and memorable.

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Chapter Two: The Resistance releases December 2nd via Northern Silence Productions